Can athletes donate blood?
Part of winning is feeling that you are the best, and donating blood can give you a big personal lift, just from knowing you helped save up to three or four lives. But maybe you shouldn’t donate just before a big game. An article from THE PHYSICIAN AND SPORTSMEDICINE said, in part: “After donating 450 mL (1 U) of whole blood, plasma volume falls 7% to 13%, then recovers within 24 to 48 hours…Marvin Adner, MD, a hematologist and internist in Framingham, Massachusetts, and medical director of the Boston Marathon, says that blood donation should not be a concern for active people who are not world-class athletes–as long as they are not iron deficient…Donald M. Christie, Jr, MD, an internist and sports physician in Lewiston, Maine, says hydration is the best recovery strategy. Donors need to drink not only what is offered afterward at the blood donation center, they need to aggressively hydrate over the remainder of the day, says Christie, who is an editorial board member of The Physi
Part of winning is feeling that you are the best, and donating blood can give you a big personal lift, just from knowing you helped save up to three or four lives. But maybe you shouldn’t donate just before a big game. An article from THE PHYSICIAN AND SPORTSMEDICINE said, in part: “After donating 450 mL (1 U) of whole blood, plasma volume falls 7% to 13%, then recovers within 24 to 48 hours…Marvin Adner, MD, a hematologist and internist in Framingham, Massachusetts, and medical director of the Boston Marathon, says that blood donation should not be a concern for active people who are not world-class athletes–as long as they are not iron deficient…Donald M. Christie, Jr, MD, an internist and sports physician in Lewiston, Maine, says hydration is the best recovery strategy. Donors need to drink not only what is offered afterward at the blood donation center, they need to aggressively hydrate over the remainder of the day, says Christie, who is an editorial board member of The Physi
